Thread doubling and twisting machine



Oct. 7, 1930. M. F. HAAS 1,777,512

I THREAD DOUBLING AND TWISTING CHINE Filed Feb. 21, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Qwdantoz Woe/ Patented Oct. 7, 1930 I ire .MARTIN FRANCIS I-IAAS, or WILKES-CBABRE, PENNSYLVANIA THREAD nourxnrne AND rwrsrrne MACHINE Application filed February 21, 1929. Serial ITO. 35:1,716.

The present invention relates to thread doubhngand twisting machines, and more partlcularly to improvements in the feeding rollers and casings, thread separating guides,

and guide supporting and holding members, and isa continuation in part of my copend ing applications Serial Nos. 197,786, filed June 9, 1927, and27 l,5i"1, filed May 2, 1928.

Heretofore it has been common practice in the thread spinning art, to employ a separating guide, or combined separator and holder therefor, in conjunction with a feeding roller, supported only at one end thereof, and with the bottom thereof spaced at a substantial distance above the roller, for example as shown in U. S. patent to Bradley, 1,516,076.

In such arrangements thereis a tendency for broken threads or strands to have their ends carried through the space between the separator holder and the roller, after which they become entangled and wound about the feed roller forming built up "roll laps of yarn or silk which are notonly difiicult to disentangle and cut loose, and cause considerable waste of the operators time and decreased operating eflicienoy of the spinning machines, but also are likely to exert sucha pressure upon the under side of the separator holder as to distort or even break the same. In addition, when the operator is winding the threads about the roller and separator in such prior arrangements to initiate operation of the spinner 1nd1v1dual thereto, he or she is likely to accidentally'slip the thread over the end of theroller between the latter and the separator holder, thereby entangling the strands, causing waste of time and reducingthe efiiciency of the machines materially.

Agaiinit often happens that the threads will lap themselves, not directly around a roller, but about the entire roller and separator construction to form bullt up roll laps j which may exert a destructive pressure downwardly upon the separator to fracture or break the same and even to ruin the holder therefor if permitted to build up by the operator. In addition to waste of the operators time, decrease of spinning capacity of the machines, and destruction of the parts of the mechanisms, considerable loss otmaterialresults due to the fact that while the roll laps are formingthe broken strands" ofmaterial remain tight, andthe stop'mechanisms fail to function so that considerable lengths of defective thread are twistedand' wound on the bobbins, whichif spun into cloth, results in a flaw inthe material. v i i l Certain remedies have been proposed for. the solution of the above problems. In the patent to Doherty, 1,487,466, there is provided a separator holder which is positioned closely adjacent the roller. It,however, is purposely made with sharp'lateral ridges whicln'l have found, have a tendency to out the threads in an undersirable manner and not to flick away the thread ends'which may pass between the roller-end holder. Further, said holder being shorter than the roller, the attendant is liable, during the winding operation, to slide the threads underthe holder'insteadot up and overrit in the proper manner. 7 i j In the two patents above discussed, and throughout the entire art, separating guides are employed which are so shapedand formed as to be easily broken when made of frangible material and which cannot readily beremoved and replaced without the aid of mechanical tools. j, i It is the principalobject ofthis invention to overcome the above mentioneddefects and disadvantages of prlorconstructions, and to providethread guiding and separating devices for twisting machines thatmateriallyincrease the etficiency ofoperation and reduce wastage in spinning machines of the charac termentioned. p a

It is also an object of my invention to provide a simple but sturdy guide and feed roller attachment which can be cheaply manu facture'd for use in new twisting or'spinning machines and for replacementof inferior devices in'old'and existing-machines.

Another object, of the invention isto provide an attachment that ispractically vibrationless duringirunning and whichoperates to maintain the threadtension substantially constant. 7

Still another obj ect of my invention is to provide a separatorholderforjspinning inaioo chines that is substantially undeformable and which is so shaped as to prevent the passage of threadsbetween itself'and the feeding roller.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a separator of improved shape,

. durability and strength having a large seatly manufactured.

manner that'the latter shall have a slight reciprocatingmotion as it rotates, thereby to shift the threads back and forth over the separator to prevent cutting and'any uneven wear on the surface of the latter.

With the above objects in view, as well as others that will appear from the following disclosure and from the termsof the appendedclaims, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of same, and in which I Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a conventional thread doubling andtwisting .or spinning machine with one form of my nvention disposed thereln'.

Figure 2 is afront elevation of a portion of the machine shown in Figure 1, with the feeding rollerand it supporting casing shown in longitudinal section.

. Figure. 3 is a plan view of the separator and its support, as employed in Figure2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section taken on line 44, Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows,-infront' elevation, a Well known feeding roller construction with one form of the-separator of. the present invention detachably mounted thfireon. p Figure 6 is a partial sideelevation, as seen when looking at the right end ofFigure 5, of

. the feeding roller and separatorsupport.

Figure 7 is a view in perspective of the separator support embodied in Figuresb and 6. Figure'8 is a perspective view of a readily removable separator which may be inserted in any of the separator supports shown in Figures 1 to 7 inclusive and 9. 551.

Figure 9 is a modified form of the'se parator of Figures 5 to 7, and discloses a resilient separator mounting which may be utilized in connection with any of the separators and supports shown in the drawings.

a Referring nowto the drawings by reference characters, in which like characters designate like parts, and first to. the formof invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, 1O designates a horizontal drive shaft which is continuously rotatedfroma source of power (not shown) and which has fixedly mounted thereon a gear wheel 11. Adjacent this wheel is an upright lifting rod 12 of conventional design. A collar 13 and a cooperating threaded stud 14: are provided for engaging rod 12 and a casing 16 for maintaining the latter in fixed relation with respect to said rod. The casing 16 is preferably cut, folded and stamped from a single sheet of metal to comprise a rear wall 18, a side wall 19, a front wall 20, bent into position by the aid of incisions 21 and 22, and a bracket 23. The front wall is cut away as at 24; (see Figure 1) and .the rearwall'as at 26 (see Figure 2) to permitthe passage of shaft 10 through the casing. In like manner an opening 27 is provided in the front wall for the reception of a feeding roller 28. The construction and method of mounting this roller will now be described. v 7

With reference to Figure 1, and particularly to Figure 2, roller 28 consists of a cup shaped cylinder providedwith an integral, axially extending sleeve 29 which is substantially shorter in length than the cylinder proper, and with an annular enlargement 30. Disposed. with a-tight fit within sleeve 29 and having its ends projecting outwardly therefrom is a bushing 31, preferably formed from a composition of fibrous material. A gear wheel 32, likewise preferably fibrous, and of a thickness substantially equal to the length of the outward extension of bushing 31, is fixed upon one 'end of the bushing and adapted to mesh with gear 11. The other end of bushing 31 is cut away so as to-have a surface which is disposed at a slight angle to a plane normal to the axis of the bushing. From this it results that one side of the inclined surface, as at 25, is approximately inch closer to theopen end of the roller than is. the other side, A cylindrical centered recess 33 is formed in the outer end of bushrigidly clamped between collar 35 and the rivet. .A compression spring 37 is freely mounted upon spindle 34 and, fitting within cylindrical'recess 33, it tends to thrust the entire roller construction to the right along the spindle. The utility of this feature will later be described.

To place the roller in operative position one need but to insert it through the casin aperture 27 with its axis in alignment witi that of thespindle 34, and thereafter thrust it to the .left until it resiliently abuts the collar 35 with spring 37 received in recess .33. It will be seen from the above described construction, in which a spring and fibrous materials are used, that the roller is driven quietly, without vibration, and with need for but little or no oil;

A. supporting and holding member 38, in which a separatoror guide 39 is mounted, is secured to the casing above the roller. This separator support 38 is stamped from a single strip'of metal and comprises a series of connected flat portions 40, 41, 42, 43, 4,4 and respectively (see Figures 3 and 4), which flat portions are joined together at large and gradual angles of: bending to insure that the entire outer surface shall be devoid of any sharp. pro ections or knife edges.

Elongated slots 46 and47 are provided in portions lOand 4-5 respectively. A cap screw 48 is adapted to pass: through slot l6-to;secure portion :550 in position upon the caslng wall 19, and asimilar cap screw:4l9 is utilized A to cooperate with slot 47 and one end of spin- :dle 34. to'fix fiat portion 45 against relative movement with respect to'the spindle. The

lengthof arms 41 and 43 are such thatthe flat portion 42 ofthe support 38 is substan- -54- respectively of the aforementioned separator 39which is preferably formed of a vitreous material such as porcelain and has a flat lower surface 55 of substantial area i by inserting lug 53 intoslot 51 and thereadapted to rest upon the fiat holder portion 42, and a smooth rounded upper surface inclined at a slight downward angle to the right in Figures 2 and 4. Its Width is substantially the same as that of said holder portion 42, and its height preferably approaches that of arms 41 and 43'. It is preferred to in- :crease the height of the separator gradually near the ends of the body proper, thus causing said ends to be longitudinally curved upwardly as at 56 to merge into, or become of the holder (see Figure 4E). The separator 39. can be quickly mounted *after dropping lug 54 into slot 52. By re- "F-urther disassembling may be conveniently performed by, merely removing screws 48' and 49 and thereafter withdrawingnot only the separator and its support, butalso the roller with its bushing 31 and gear wheel 32. a Y

r Returning to Figures 1 and 2, the lifting or release rod 12, which supports the entire mechanism just described, projects down-= wardly between the usual shaftsand through a the seating and guiding bracket 58, and is,-

provided at its lower. end. with a normally compressed spring 59 which is abutted by a collar 61 heldinplace by a locking stud 62. Asimilar collarand stud, designated by immerals63 and 64;,cooperates with that por-. tion of the rod which is disposed just above the feed rollermechanism, for locking-a thread guide 65 in operative position. A plurality of threads 66( of which only one canbe seen in Figure 1) pass downwardly through guide 65, thence beneath the roller cylinder 28, in cont-act therewith, thence upwardly and over the separator holder 38 and in con tact with thesmooth slightly inclined. upper surface of the porcelain separator'carried thereby and thence downwardly through guide 7 0 .to the usual spinning and windi imechanism (not shown), l

At the upper end of rod 12 thereis disposed a frame67; which supports a safety stop mechanism of well knownconstruction,

indicated generally at 68, and a thread guide 69. The character and operationiof the safety device 68 being well known, it will notice described in detail here. Suffice it to'saythat, with the threads 66 under tension, as shown, the guide 69 is held in operative position and the rod 12 is locked in its lowermost position with the gears 11 and 32 in mesh; and that, should a threadbecome loose. due to breakage, the guide 69is permitted to. fall pivotally about point 71, therebyuactuating the stop mechanism 68 to release the rod. 12 against the action of spring 59, with the result that the spring thrusts the rod upwardly to carry roller gear 32 out of meshing engagement with driving gear'll I Projecting upwardly witha sliding fit into casing 16 and partially enclosing the driving gear 11 to prevent accessof foreign material,

and especially threads, thereto, is a second casing formed of two. parts 72 and 73, these parts being secured together by cooperating .ears 74 united by a screw bolt 75. The part 73 is mounted upon a supporting bracket 76 which rests upon shafts 57. The casing parts 72 and 73' are provided with semi-cyp lindrical bosses 7 6 and 7 7 respectively which, substantially tangential to, the upper surface when cooperatively drawn togetheigform an axially projecting drive shaft 10. Tivotally mounted between housing for a portion of .llll

bracket 23and rear wall 18 upon a pin 78 is a shield-79, which shield is shaped to conform -vers1ng this operation the separator may be quickly removed.

in general with an outer portion of gear the access of any broken threads or the like thereto. 7 a j The manner in which someof the objects of invention are realized in the construction shown in Figures 1 to 4,'already specifically 'ends'to wind themabout rotating parts and clog the mechanism. The casings, together with the separating elements, can be quickly demounted anddisassembled for cleaning and repair. a

It will beperceived that, as the rolleris ro tated together with its'bushing 31 and gear 32, it will simultaneously be given a slight re-;

ciprocating motion. Each time that the portion 25 of the inclined end surface of the bushing rides past thejinner side of part of the holder, which position is illustrated in Figure 2, the bushing is thrust to the left against the resistance of spring 37, and as the portion 25 gradually rides out of engagement with part 45, thebushing is forced to the right by spring 37 until end portion abuts the part 45 of the holder. From this it results thatv the roller is reciprocated'through a stroke of about 1 g (more or less, depending on the angle of inclination of the outer bushing end surface) and that the threads to be passed over the roller will be given a corresponding back and forth movement to prevent them from cutting the surface of the separator, as they often do in prior constructions.

It is practically impossible to fracturethe separator 39, or to oscillate it to any extent about its axis, becauseits'fiat surface bears against the flat portion 42 of the holder at all points to provide for even distribution of downward pressures. The separator may be takenoutor replaced atwillby an attendant a without the use of any tools whatsover." The flat holder, portion 42 being substantially flush with the rotating roller and its edges be ing blunt and smooth, there will be no tendends that may'appear willbe flicked away from the separator by said smooth edges to ency toward cutting thelthreads and any loose 1 prevent their entrance between the roller and separator holder with subsequent formation of laps of thread about theroller whichfare' X extremely diflicult to disentangle; I It is likewiseimpossible for'suchroll laps to be formed accidentally by the operator during the wrap-"- ping operation, because the portions ;44 and 45 of the holder absolutely prevent the side'- wise insertion of threads over thesupper surfaceof the roller itself (betweenrol1er and holder) instead ofover the top of the separator where they properly belong- Again,

thef -holder 38 being substantially .in contact 1 withinthe'lug.

with theroller surface and firmly fastened to the casing structure by screws 48 and 49, it cannot be broken down nor even distorted, no

matter nowgreat the thread tension becomes nor how large a roll lap formation that might accidentally become built up around the entire roller and separator assembly. This rigid holder construction is likewise advantageous if, due to improper adjustment,'a roll lap might form around theroller only. In

such cases the usual tendency is for the roll lap to build itself to such proportions as, by the application of an upwardly directed 7 force, to break'the separator and possibly the separator holder as well. The separator of the present invention cannot be broken in this 'manner because the holder portion 42 prevents the direct application. of pressure against it. The holder is of such length that its outer end projects beyond the outer roller edge. Thisouter end, comprising member 44 and the smoothly curved portions 81 and 82 which connect 44 with the remaining holderstructure, accurately guides the threads, during the Wrapping operation, up and onto the porcelainseparator. It will thus be seen that comparatively unskilled attendants can operate my improved machine in satisfactory manner.

Turning now to Figures 5 to 8, wherein another form of separator and holder embodying my .inventionare illustrated, Figures 5 and 6 show the improvement attached to an 'old form of roller and its supporting structure, like unto that disclosed in the aforementioned patent to Bradley, 1,516,076. The roller 83, having cylindrical side walls 84 and a closed, bossed outer end 86, is mounted, with its gear wheel 87 in a casing 88, which casing is provided with an aperture 89 for inspection and oiling of the internal mechanism. The casing carries a conventional thread guide consisting of a lug 90, a wire 91, and a locking stud 92 for securing the wire a projecting car 93 having'a hole 94therein for receiving the shank of a separator holder. A set screw 96 is provided for locking the shank against longitudinal and rotative movement.

The attachment of this invention, to be mounted on the device just described, coinprises a holder 97 supporting a separator 98 and having a shank99 adapted to be slidably received in the'hole 94 of lug 93. The holder '97, preferably made of hardened steel, has a pair of spaced upstanding ears 100 and 101, slightly tapered from bottom'to top,

injwhich is provided a corresponding pair ofvertical surface slots'102 and 103 for the reception of the lugs 104 and 106 of the re- 7 Formed on its upper side is.

i so

surface rests upon the flat supporting surface of the holder. The under surface 108 of the'holder is ground to-conform to the shape of thecylindrical roller and overhangs the samesubstantially in contact therewith.

,theholder and the outer edge of the roll.

The lateral lower edges 111-of -the holder are made sufficiently dull and smooth to pre vent them from cutting the threads being separated. In fact, all'parts of the holder cutting and snapping of threads. v a

I are'preferably highly polished to avoidfthe A modified form of holder, 112, is shown in Figure 9; Itis substantiallylike holder 1 97, having slottede'ars 113 and 114, a flat :supporting surface 116, an endcurvature 117, and a shank 118. It differs, however, in that thelower surface 119 is convex rather than concave, thus establishinga line contact with the cylinder instead of a full surface contact. Its. sides fare likewise convexly curved and they merge as at 120 into the lowenconveX surface 119.

Shown in Figure 9 only for purposes of illustration, "and equally adaptable to the other forms of my invention, is a resilient mounting for the separator. It comprises a spring having two fiat ends 121 resting upon the flat holder surface 116 and joined by'a flat central portion 122 upon which reststhe fiat bottom of the vitreous separator described above. By the use ofa spring of this type the separator is'permitted to ride up and down in the holder to. cause shifting of the threads along the separator, andto prevent'breaking or otherwise damaging the threads as their tension varies.

The separating devices of Figures 5 to 9 have the same general utilities as those set forth for that shown in Figures 1 to 4:, namely, the prevention of the formation of roll laps, and the prevention of damage to the elements thereof. lVhile the holders are 1 shown with their shanks slightly inclined to their axes to adapt them for use in existing machines which have inclined holes for shank reception, it is to be understood that the shanks may project from the holder bodies in any other desired form or manner.

WVhile in the drawings the lower surface of each separator holder is shown substantially in contact with its corresponding roller surface, it is possible, in some instances, to operate with these surfaces somewhat spaced apart. The spacing, however, must be so slight as to ensure that the ends of any broken threads will be flicked away from the entrance to the space and not permitted to pass there'through, and the spacing, within certain limits, dependent upon the kind and size of threads, the periphera'l speed of the roller and the type of mechanisms employed in the entire machine, etc., may be varied somewhat. i I

Though I have disclosed certain specific embodiments of my invention, they are to be construed as merely illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being defined by the ter What I desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim as new is 1. In a machine of the class described, a casing, a horizontal spindle fixed at one end to said casing, a cylindrical roller open at one end and mounted upon the spindle with said open end projecting beyond the projecting end of the spindle, a thread separator anda separator support adjacent the outerroller surface, said support beingsecuredat onev end to the casing andhaving its other end fastened to the projecting end of the spindle 1 2. The combination as set forth in claim 1,

in which that side of the support opposite theseparator is substantially flush with the roller.

3. In the combination set forth in claim 1, said ends of the support being provided with means for adjusting the support with respect to either the casing or the projecting end of the spindle.

4. In a device of the character described, a rotatably mountedfeedingroller, a thread separator having a fiat surface,a separator support mounted adjacent the roller and pro vided with a fiat surface, and a spring memberinserted between said flat surfaces, said member consisting of a series ofparallel and resilientlyconnected flat portions.

' 5. A device adapted for use-in a machine, 'of theclass-described, comprising a cylindrical feeding roller having an interior con centric sleeve carried by one of its ends, and a fibrous gearwheel mounted at said one end of the roller and provided with a fibrous sleeve which projects into said concentric sleeve with a tight fit.

-6; Ina machine pf the class described, a casing, a spindle rigidly secured to one wall of the casing and projecting outwardly therefrom, a spring surrounding the spindle adjacent the secured end of the latter, a fibrous sleeve rotatably mounted upon'said spindle and having a recess in one end for the recep tion of said spring, a fibrous gear wheel fixed upon the recessed'end of said fibrous sleeve, and a *metallic' roller mounted upon said fibrous sleeve adjacent saidgear wheel.

'7. In a spinning or twisting machine, a casing, a driven feed roller rotatably and reciprocablymounted in said casing, means ms of the appended claims.

mounted on the casing and projecting into proximity to said roller to provide an abut-.

' ment, mechanism for rotating the roller, and

- casing having a projecting spindle, a roller mdunted for rotation and reciprocation upon said spindle, a separator holder mounted upon the casing adjacent the roller, means for rotating the roller, and cooperating means associated with said roller and said holder for reciprocating the roller during rotation thereof.

9. In the device defined in claim 8, said cooperating means comprising a bushing secured within said rollerand slidably'mounted upon said spindle, a spring between said bushing and said casing, an extension on said holder secured to the end of the spindle, and a cam formed on the end of the bushing and engaging said extension.

10. In a thread doubling and twisting machine, a roll stand, a feed roll rotatably mounted on said stand, a thread'guide extending axially along said feed roll' around which and the roll the threads extend, means for rotating said feed roll, and means for imparting. an axial reciprocating motion to said roll as it rotates, comprising'a cam surface at one end of said roll, an abutment opposite said camfsurface, and resilient means-pressing axially on said roll to hold said cam surface in contact with said abutment. 1-

11. In a thread doubling and twisting machine, a roll stand, a feed roll rotatably mounted on said stand, said feed roll having a hub one end of which is inclined to its axis, an abutment opposite the inclined end of said hub, a thread guide extending axially along said feed roll around which and the roll the threads extend, means forfrotating said feed roll, and resilient'means pressing axially on said roll to holdthe inclined end of said hub in contact with said abutment, whereby an axial reciprocating motion is imparted to said roll as it rotates.

12. In a machine of the class described, a roll stand, a feed roll carried thereby, a thread separating guide, a holder .for said guide secured to said roll stand and having slotted supporting portions adapted to receive the ends of said guide, and shoulders on said guide adjacent the ends thereof for confining the lateral movement of the threads. f

13. In a machine of the class described, a roll stand, a feed roll carried thereby, a thread separating guide, means mounting said guide for limited radial movement with respect to said feed roll, and yieldable means urging said guide toward its outer limit.

14. In a machine of the class described, a

rollstand, 'a feed roll carried thereby, a thread separating guide presenting to the threads a surface inclined to the axis of said feed roll, means mounting said guide for limited radial movement with respect to said feed roll, and yieldable means urging said guide toward its outer limit.

15. In a device ofthe character described, a feeding roller having a free outer edge, means for mounting and driving said roller, a thread separating unit, said unit being mounted "substantially in contact with the roller with its normal thread-engaging surface so disposed that a line substantially perpendicular thereto will intersect the axis of said feeding roller and with one of its ends projecting'beyond said outer edge thereof, said projecting end having a smooth upward- 1y curved surface for guiding threads away from the space between the roller and the unit.

16. In a device defined inclaim 15, said separating unit comprising a separating ele-' ment and a holder therefor, said smooth upwardly curved surface being that of the holder, and said separating element being pro vided with a smoothly curved surface which merges into the surface of said holder.

17.Ina device of the class'described,'arotatably mounted feeding roller, a frangible thread separator having an elongated flat seating surface and a curved separating surface, a separator support mounted adjacent the roller'and means on said support providinga cooperating? seat for the entire flat surface of said separator, said elongated flat seating surface being disposed'between said curved separating surface and the feeding roller.

- 18. In theconstruction defined in claim 17 said separator being provided with'end lugs, and corresponding slots in the support adaptedato detachably receive said lugs.

19. In combination with the lifting rod and'driving gear of a machine of the character described, a stamped casing mounted upon the lifting rod and adapted to partially house the driving gear, said casing being open at the bottom to receive the driving gear, and having an opening in the upper portion of one of its walls for the reception of a feeding roller mechanism, and a second casing open at its upper end and disposed in the open bottom of said casing to completely house 'the lower side of said driving'gear, said casings being separable upon movement of said lifting rod.

20. In combination with the lifting rod nism, a second "casing open at its upper end and disposed in the open bottom of said firstmentioned casing to house the lower side of said driving gear, said second casing having a transversely projecting hollow boss and a shield having a shape conforming to a portion of the driving gear, said shield being pivoted at its lower end to said first casing and freely resting upon said hollow boss.

21. In a machine of the class described, a

feed roll mechanism comprislng a supporting bracket, an extension on said bracket, a feed roll rotatablyand reciprocably support ed by said extension, means for rotating said roll, and cooperating means carred by said extension and said roll for causing the latter v to reciprocate in responseto its rotation.

In testimony whereof I aifix mysignatnre.

V MARTIN F. HAAS. 

